by Mahmoud Fouly

ISMAILIA, Egypt, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Under white tents on the green campus of Suez Canal University in Egypt's northeastern city of Ismailia, Chinese company banners lined up beside recruitment posters in Chinese, Arabic and English as Egyptian students moved from booth to booth with CVs in hand, exploring job opportunities.

The event, the sixth recruitment fair for Chinese companies operating in Egypt, was organized by the Confucius Institute at the university and brought together Chinese firms seeking employees, especially young talents who can speak Chinese.

For students, the fair offered a rare chance to see how language studies could translate into careers with Chinese companies.

"This is a very beautiful event that offers opportunities for young people like my peers and me to find a job immediately after graduation, instead of searching everywhere for work," said Ziena Wael Ahmed, a fourth-year student at the university's Faculty of Al-Alsun (Languages).

Speaking after discussing job opportunities with the manager of Cool-star, a Chinese home appliances company, Ahmed said the fair was especially valuable because companies come directly to students, "not the other way around."

For Chinese companies, the fair provided direct access to young Egyptians trained in Chinese and familiar with the local market.

Among the participating firms were China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Anton Oilfield Services Group, Bridge Tex and Fabric, New Hope Group, Jushi Group, Sailun Group, and Cool-star.

Their booths displayed recruitment notices for translators, accountants, engineers, HR assistants, logistics coordinators, sales representatives, procurement officers, and production workers.

Ma Nan, human resources supervisor at Sailun Group, said the tire manufacturer is preparing to launch its factory in Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone later this year.

"We started preparing the factory in Egypt in mid-2025 and brought equipment and machinery from China. They will be installed soon, and operation will start in August this year," Ma told Xinhua.

He said the recruitment fair was particularly useful for a new factory with broad staffing needs across technical and administrative roles.

The event also highlighted how Chinese-language graduates are increasingly serving as a bridge between Chinese companies and the Egyptian labor market.

Mariam Saeed, who graduated in 2024, said she began her career with an internship at China State Construction Engineering Corporation before joining Anton Oilfield Services Group, where she has worked for about a year and a half.

"I loved the Chinese language and culture, and when I dealt with Chinese people, I found them optimistic and appreciative of those who learn their language," Saeed said.

"After working with them, I also found their culture very beautiful and learned many things about China," she added, saying she believes "China represents the future."

The fair reflected the growing practical dimension of Egypt-China cooperation, where language education is increasingly linked to employment opportunities tied to Chinese investment in Egypt.

Hassan Ragab, Egyptian director of the Confucius Institute at Suez Canal University, said the annual fair aims to connect education with labor market needs.

"More than 2,500 Chinese companies are working in Egypt, and we were able to attract some of them that need graduates who speak Chinese," Ragab told Xinhua.

He said this year's edition was larger than previous ones, with more than 30 companies and over 200 job opportunities across multiple sectors.

Held annually at Suez Canal University, the fair has become a meeting point between education and employment, and between cultural learning and economic cooperation.

Beyond job opportunities, it also underscored how the expansion of Chinese language education in Egypt is creating new channels of communication, understanding, and opportunity between the two countries. ■